Romania being attacked by Shaheds? How NATO country and allies responding to Russian drone overflights

Contents

• What is known about Shaheds in Romania on July 24 and 25
• Reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense
• What NATO allies are saying

What is known about Shaheds in Romania on July 24 and 25

On the night of July 24, residents of Tulcea County, which borders the Odesa region, received an air alert signal due to a Russian drone. Around 02:20 a.m., the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations informed local residents about several drones approaching the northern part of the county. Following this, the emergency service received at least 10 calls from local residents reporting the sound of explosions.

"Most calls came from Tulcea county, people reported explosions, but there were also calls in which citizens asked for information, and the operators of the control center of the Inspectorate gave them all the requested information to understand what what they heard was happening in Ukraine," said the Inspectorate.

Additionally, videos circulating online showed what was claimed to be a Shahed strike on the Romanian village of Plauru in the mentioned county. However, no official confirmation of this was released. It was only reported that during the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Romanian side had to raise F-16 fighter jets due to a "potential threat." At 02:19 a.m. local time, two fighter jets were monitoring the situation in the air. They returned to base around 04:20 a.m., and the Romanian Ministry of National Defense ordered an investigation near Plauru to "search for possible objects that might have fallen on national territory."

It is worth noting that that night, Ukrainian ports along the Danube were under attack. In Izmail, the attack damaged not only port infrastructure but also a residential five-story building, resulting in injuries to three people.

The following night, the scenario essentially repeated. The Izmail district of the Odesa region was once again under attack, resulting in damage to port infrastructure and a private house, with two people injured. Simultaneously, around 01:20 a.m., residents of settlements in Romania across the Danube once again received an RO-Alert notification warning of possible debris fall.

"We make it clear that the territory of our country is not an object of attacks by the Russian Federation, and these alerts are aimed at informing the population that there is a possibility of objects falling from the damage of unmanned aerial vehicles on the territory of Romania," said the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations that night.

By morning, the Ukrainian Air Force Command reported that Russia had used 38 kamikaze drones. Of these, 25 were intercepted by air defense, and another three were "locationally lost" after crossing the state border into Romania. Details on this were not provided by the Command.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, F-16 fighter jets were also raised in the country that night for patrol. Additionally, the Ministry sent specialists to check the area where debris might have fallen. And "findings" indeed were made. Romanian TV channel Digi24 reported that military personnel sent to investigate the debris fall found metal parts near the town of Plauru in the Danube Delta, which could be components of Russian drones. Photos and videos circulated in the media and on social networks showed markings of Geran (a designation used by Russians for Iranian drones).

Reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense

Soon after, Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu confirmed the fall of drone debris on Romanian territory.

"More heinous attacks have been perpetrated by Russia against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Debris has been found on Romanian territory. We have informed and are coordinating with our Allies on this matter. Romania strongly condemns these irresponsible actions," she wrote today on the social media platform Twitter (X).

In turn, the Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that its teams are currently investigating the area to search for possible objects that may have fallen on the country as a result of attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure over the past two nights.

According to the Ministry of Defense, on that night from 01:32 a.m., two Finnish Air Force F-18 aircraft took off from the 57th Air Base in Mihăilești Commune to monitor the air situation. The fighters returned at 03:25 a.m.. The Ministry added that investigations began on July 24 at the first of three possible drone impact zones. The Ministry is providing real-time updates to allied structures.

What NATO allies are saying

Notably, Romania is a NATO member country, and incidents like the fall of Shaheds on its territory should elicit a corresponding response from allies. The United States has commented on the incident. The US Department of State has expressed its readiness to assist Romania in the investigation if needed.

"So my understanding is that the Government of Romania is conducting an investigation into this matter. We have full confidence in that investigation into the explosion near their border with Ukraine, and we commend them for the professional and deliberate manner in which they are conducting it," said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The fall of Shahed debris in Romania and explosions in the country during Russian attacks on Ukraine are not new occurrences. Such incidents have been happening intermittently since September 2023.

Additionally, Shaheds have also been reported in neighboring Moldova. One such case occurred in February 2024, where not only debris was found at the site, but also 50 kg of explosives.

Sources: the press service of the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, statements from Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, and the Romanian TV channel Digi24.